Category Archives: Economics

SOME OF THE SYSTEM PROBLEMS AT THE OSCARS.

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Philip

SOME OF THE SYSTEM PROBLEMS AT THE OSCARS. I posted a couple of days ago on the Oscars mixup. I had not read that much about it, but I hazarded a guess, based on the generalization of W Edwards Deming … Continue reading →

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THE OSCARS MIXUP—IT’S THE SYSTEM, NOT THE PEOPLE.

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Philip

THE OSCARS MIXUP–IT’S THE SYSTEM, NOT THE PEOPLE. There was a lot of excitement last night at the Oscars. La La Land was announced as the winner for best movie, but after some of the acceptance speeches had been given, … Continue reading →

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MAYBE STATINS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO TRY TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S.

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Philip

MAYBE STATINS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO TRY TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S. Dr. Zissimopoulos identifies the problems with not following FDA requirements for clinical tests before prescribing statins for the prevention of Alzheimer’s: “Some people with a family history of Alzheimer’s might … Continue reading →

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WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT EVIDENCE THAT STATINS MAY DELAY ALZHEIMER’S?

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Philip

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT EVIDENCE THAT STATINS MAY DELAY ALZHEIMER’S? Julie Zissimopoulos in this article on the Statnews website lays out the difficult options in assessing new possible uses for older drugs which are off-patent. Random controlled trials are … Continue reading →

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BEFORE THE “THE WAR ON PIRATES”.

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Philip

BEFORE THE “WAR ON PIRATES”. Hanna ‘s article is based on his book PIRATE NESTS AND THE RISE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, 1570-1740. Hanna’s world of pirates seeking to get enough money to retire to an honorable place in society … Continue reading →

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PIRATES WHO JUST WANTED TO FIND A PLACE IN THE HIGHER REACHES OF COLONIAL SOCIETY.

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Philip

PIRATES WHO JUST WANTED TO FIND A PLACE IN THE HIGHER REACHES OF COLONIAL SOCIETY. I posted here about Professor Peter Leeson’s economic theory of piracy. Leeson’s 18th century pirates “set up their own early versions of constitutional democracy, complete … Continue reading →

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MINNESOTA NICE AND THE ZIPPER MERGE.

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Philip

MINNESOTA NICE AND THE ZIPPER MERGE. When a driver knows that his lane is going to end, but waits until the last possible moment to change lanes, it is called a “zipper merge”. I posted here in 2014 that Washington … Continue reading →

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HOW JET LAG AFFECTS BASEBALL GAMES.

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Philip

HOW JET LAG AFFECTS BASEBALL GAMES. Nick sent me this article by George Dvorsky on the Gizmodo site about the effects of jet lag on the performance of baseball players. The article reports on a study by Ravi Allada and … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Economics, Science, Sports | 1 Comment

ECONOMIC ANALYSES OF WORKING THE REFEREES.

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Philip

ECONOMIC ANALYSES OF WORKING THE REFEREES. Here is a link to a paper by Michael J Lopez published in Economic Inquiry which provides support for the finding that football referees are influenced in making calls by whether they are near … Continue reading →

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WHY THE PARTHENON HAS LASTED FOR CENTURIES.

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Philip

WHY THE PARTHENON HAS LASTED FOR CENTURIES. The Parthenon in Rome has already lasted 1800 years. It is made of concrete, but Tim Harford offers an additional explanation for why it has survived when so many Roman buildings have not. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Economics, History | 1 Comment